Lauren Scruggs, the model who lost a hand and an eye when she walked into a spinning plane propeller, has reportedly rejected a $200,000 settlement and is suing the plane’s insurance company for an unspecified amount. (today.msnbc.msn.com) Ещё...

And she won too? Surprise surprise. This must be the only country where can you be stupid enough to walk into a spinning propeller and get paid for it. At least the pilot didnt end up at the wrong end of the law for having a dunce for a passenger.

Amen Steve.Obviously most of the folks here don't understand what it means to be "pilot in Charge". You are responsible for the safety of your passengers.......PERIOD.The only way he should of deplaned a passenger with an engine running is if he had another trained person escorting. It was a stupid mistake that his insurance company is paying for.

Lawyers are just bottom feeding scum who are driving America into economic oblivion. Politicians and Judges are just graduated lawyers members of a private club of thieves who cloak their debauchery in legal Mumbo Jumbo. If you don't play ball they send their High School graduate goon squads with badges and guns to drag you in and force you to play ball on their terms. If you don't play ball they haul you off to stark cold buildings with electric doors and cells until you decide to play ball. It's all a giant SCAM and CON. (SEE OBAMA for reference)

I agree with you Steve. Being a pilot myself I would never allow passengers or anyone for that matter to to board,exit or just plain be within 25ft of my aircraft while running. Why take the chance of something to go wrong. It doesn't take much to shut down and restart! Simple common sense is getting harder to find these days.

This is a different spin on the story. Originally they all said she had departed the aircraft area and came running back to thank the pilot. He had no way of knowing she was coming back. On the other hand, it doesn't take much brains for a pilot to shut down an engine between passengers.

What was he thinking? The girl prolly doesnt know a lot about airplanes, maybe its hard to see a prop spinning at night. He should have made her aknowledge him while warning about the prop and read back his information regarding his warning. He's too old to be hangin out with a 23 year old anyways.

What's amazing is that this was deemed worthy of 2:30 of time on a national television program. There was no video of either of the protagonists, nor of the plane. Yes, the PIC should shutdown before allowing the doors to open (unless there are special circumstances) and passengers need to use due care around aircraft. But, note, neither of these points were brought up in the video. {sigh} Has television "journalism" devolved to this?

As a pilot myself, the thought of allowing a passenger(s) to deplane while an engine running is unheard of. It appears to me that the pilot became complacent. It was easier tokeep the engine running rather than shutdown and go through start up procedures again.

Regardless of whether she is "blond", "brillant" or "stupid", He ASSUMED that she would hear him over the engine and wind noise. Big assumption. I find that many people are inattentive and have selective hearing, just like selective reading. You can have a big sign saying the restrooms are "this way" and you will always have someone standing by the sign asking "which way to the bathroom". I kid you not.

The Pilot in Command (PIC) is ultimately responsible for the safety of the flight and passengers as stated in the FAA regulations [FAR Reg. 91.3" a) The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to, the operation of that aircraft.] and I am surprised his actions aren't contrary to FAR 91.13 regarding careless or reckless operation: [ a) Aircraft operations for the purpose of air navigation. No person may operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another.]

Complacency leads to tragedy and the lawyers will be waiting to make a bundle

I fly a Rockwell Turbo Commander. The door is directly in front of the left prop and is locked at all times (by a swtch in the overhead panel) tthat the prop is spinning. Even if my boss is saying to unlock it so he can get going, I tell him "no". I also do maintenance checks on the plane with the engines running and have to constantly remind myself not to walk thru the prop arc as you do hundreds of times with the engines shut down. She deserves the insurance and I do feel sympathy for the pilot as well.

My dad had Turbo Commander for most of my growing up. I probably have 2,000 in the right seat. Even though you could override the door lock on the door by wiggling your finger to the 'emergency' switch - we NEVER did anything until the prop stopped 100%. We are surrounded by danger every day- carnage on the roads, but it is always aviation that gets the bad rap and big headlines.

"Richmond told Scruggs to walk away from the propeller as she exited the plane, but it’s unclear whether she was able to hear him over the roar of the engine, according to the NTSB report." First of all, who needs to be told to walk away from a running prop? Second, if she couldn't hear over the "roar of the engine", what made her think it was okay to walk in that direction anyways?

As a ramp rat USAF and FBO operator for 30 years, that aircraft should have been shutdown before any body exits / boards est at night! The PIC was dealing with people unfamiliar with aircraft ops. I was not going to post my thoughts about the post on this subject but, you folks are snotnose kids or no nothing about aviation.Yea, I hear you young bucks in the pattern asking for "any other traffic please advise" read you FAR. Alright,fire away!

Cannot fix stupid ... regardless of gender ... obviously the insurance company thinks otherwise, just avoiding a trial, which they could win if they pushed it ... stupid better thank someone that she's alive to collect the $$

Totally agree. She shouldn't take the settlement. She shouldn't get ANY money at all. The only other partially culpable party is the pilot but even his part is limited. This is just a horrible accident.

To those that can’t believe she could be so stupid to walk into a propeller:

I must tell you it is easier to do than you think. I’ve been around spinning props a few times and it is very disorienting. There is a lot of wind and noise and you don’t really see the prop. It can be kind of a sensory overload scenario where your brain goes into single thought process mode. If that single thought is “I need to thank the pilot”, you’re done.

Jeffrey Babe is truly a baby and a dumb ass white boy...take the money...you have a small penis that is why it comes naturally to u to take a small settlement...asshole go fuck yourself...but u will need tweezers to do that I am sorry...the model was right....